Everything in Moderation....

              I am sure we have all heard the quote by Oscar Wilde: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” Too much of anything, or not enough of something can be a bad thing, but when we moderate what we do or don't do it creates a balance in our lives. To me, balance just means that we are not pulled in one direction more than the other. For example, we may be internally driven (mind, health) or more externally driven (jobs, friends). But if we are able to stand firmly on our feet, and keep a clear head we can keep a healthier balance in our lives. But how do we balance our day to day lives when we are constantly being pulled in all directions?

Try these simple but effective steps and see how they work for you.

1. Recognize
Take a moment to recognize how you feel. It's important to be honest with yourself in this state. The only person you are cheating is yourself if you aren't.

2. Evaluate
Recognize if you are more driven by internal or external sources. Sometimes it helps to make a list.

3. Set a few goals
Use the list you made from the previous step, and make goals to correct or add to what you have evaluated that needs immediate attention.

4. Time management/Plan
Make a plan to schedule days or weeks in which you are going to start to balancing things.

5. Reflect
Think of when you had a goal in the past. Did it work? Why or why not? What can you do now to make it better?

6. Begin
Start to begin making new habits toward the new plans you made in the previous steps. If you can get yourself in the habit of looking at your list and starting each day with the new habits, eventually you will not have to think about it because it will be part of your daily routine.

**And if all else fails. Begin again every time you realize you went off track. It's never too late to start over. Even if you start over 100 times in a day. The effort will pay off.

Good Luck!